Soon your phone could be powered by nothing more than a thin transparent film covering its screen.

A company called Wysips has developed the super thin film, which doubles as a solar panel, complete with strips of photovoltaic cells. The power can then be used to charge up your gadget's battery. The film is able to charge a traditional phone battery in around six hours of direct sunlight. It also works with indoor light, though naturally the process is much slower.

While this may not seem practical for folks who don't spend a lot of time outdoors, when used in conjunction with a traditional phone charger it could serve as a great way to keep your phone continually full of juice so that you can use the wall plug less.